I'm all misty-eyed. It's like a collision of worlds for me.
Too bad it's all on account of UMD showing porn...again.
Pirates II: Stagnetti's Revenge will be shown at midnight
Saturday in a campus theater usually home to tamer fare such as
independent and foreign films. The distributor of the film, Digital
Playground, offered it to the student union for free, so student
activities fees are not being used to finance it. A student programming
committee voted to screen the film, billed as a "XXX blockbuster."
But the chaplain of the Catholic Student Center at Maryland, the Rev. Kyle Ingels, said screening pornographic films does not lead to a positive atmosphere on campus. "We're trying to promote greater respect on campus of all people and something like a pornographic film is not contributing to the buildup of the human person," Ingels said. "It's degrading to the human person. It really runs counter to our efforts to try to form people to be men and women who will go out and contribute to society."
University officials acknowledge that the film is "not for everyone" but say the idea was to provide students with an alternative to late-night drinking and other dangerous activities. The student union screens a wide variety of films for a wide variety of audiences, they said.
But the chaplain of the Catholic Student Center at Maryland, the Rev. Kyle Ingels, said screening pornographic films does not lead to a positive atmosphere on campus. "We're trying to promote greater respect on campus of all people and something like a pornographic film is not contributing to the buildup of the human person," Ingels said. "It's degrading to the human person. It really runs counter to our efforts to try to form people to be men and women who will go out and contribute to society."
University officials acknowledge that the film is "not for everyone" but say the idea was to provide students with an alternative to late-night drinking and other dangerous activities. The student union screens a wide variety of films for a wide variety of audiences, they said.
Right...because there's nothing dangerous about pornography...
I feel bad for whomever has to clean up the theater afterwards.
I read elsewhere that the movie was pulled after a senator passed a bill banning it from the state school.
Can anyone verify this?
Posted by: Peter Terp | April 02, 2009 at 01:12 PM
It was pulled after the state Senate threatened to add an amendment to the budget bill that would ban state funding to any higher ed institution that shows XXX films that are not part of an academic course. The amendment was never put to a vote because UMD gave in pretty quickly.
Posted by: Therese | April 02, 2009 at 03:47 PM
I love how they qualify it with "not part of an academic course."
I'm surprised none of the teachers stepped up to the plate and declared the movie part of an American studies homework assignment.
Posted by: PeterTerp | April 02, 2009 at 06:45 PM
American Studies? No. LGBTQP! You have to question the roles in the film and how they affect gender issues! (excuse me while I vomit...)
Posted by: Matt | April 02, 2009 at 08:05 PM
Oh, but American studies will want to study the movie because of its unique marketing campaign in America. Apparently, this is the most expensive porn film ever made and features CGI. It's being targeted precisely at college campuses because the production company knows that undergraduates have grown up steeped in porn culture (thanks to the Internet). The company has been showing it free on college campuses as part of a grassroots campaign -- mimicking the same model that made The Passion so successful. So it really is a subversive bit of American "pop" culture.
Besides, unless the film features gay sex, it's a safe bet that the LGBTQPXYZ will be grossed out by it due to heterophobia.
Posted by: PeterTerp | April 03, 2009 at 08:53 AM